Saw sharpening service - recommendations?

[welly]

Hi all,

I've got a couple of decent quality saws (a Veritas dovetail and Veritas carcass) which I have no particular desire - at this point - to sharpen myself for fear of ruining 60 quids worth of tool (per saw). So wondered if anyone can suggest/recommend anyone who does saw sharpening?

I will attempt to learn at some point in the near future with a cheap saw but in the meantime if I need my saws sharpening, who best to go to?

Thanks!

 

[ED65]

You can't irretrievably ruin a saw sharpening it so you can put that worry aside. In fact the more hesitant you are trying it the less likely this is; it's the hell-for-leather approach that'll get you in trouble.

If you have any rip-pattern saw that doesn't have impulse-hardened teeth it would make a great learning platform, just allow you to practice the mechanics of filing, checking progress, not losing position, sort out suitable lighting and so forth. Once you've done it say three or four times you'll wonder why you were scared to try.

I haven't sharpened much but I'd have no hesitation in tackling a new expensive saw if I owned one (as opposed to the old expensive ones I do own )

 

[deema]

There are very very few places you can get a hand saw sharpened, it’s a dying art commercially. I’m not sure if Thomas Flynn still offer a saw sharpening service or not.

https://www.flinn-garlick-saws.co.uk/ac ... BRAND.html

Skelton Saws did offer a service, but again I’m not sure if he still does.

https://www.skeltonsaws.co.uk/

The common theme though which I think you might find is that to have them sharpened, including postage there and back will be a significant cost compared to the price of the saws.

To sharpen a saw is extremely easy, and something anyone can learn very quickly. I’d buy a very cheap crappy old saw and have a go, after a couple of hours you will have sufficient skill to touch up your own saws.

Here’s a thread I wrote a few years back on how to do it.

hand-saw-restoration-and-re-teething-of-a-99p-saw-t98494.html

 

[Trevanion]

Spindex Tools will re-cut (If needed) and resharpen saws I believe. It's a skill worth learning yourself though!

 

[whiskywill]

Spindex Tools will re-cut (If needed) and resharpen saws I believe. It's a skill worth learning yourself though!

I had a tenon saw and a panel saw sharpened by Spindex about 6 months ago. A good service and I now have two very sharp saws.

 

[D_W]

you are the sharpening service. find a suitable file and run one stroke over each tooth, use the saw. If it's not sharp, do it again. You can kick the can down the road on things like setting and jointing when you have a new set of teeth and you don't file them off. You'll be shocked.

Sending saws to be sharpened now that there's generally not community saw shops that do it for a few bucks is one of the bigger wastes in woodworking.

Same thing happens with straight razor shaving. I sold razors for a while, and regularly had people asking if I'd sharpen their other razors for another $20 (which wouldn't be a bad gig to take on if I was retired).

 

[woodbloke66]

Spindex Tools will re-cut (If needed) and resharpen saws I believe. It's a skill worth learning yourself though!

Yep, Spindex are great! They used to collect saws (and p/t blades) from home and deliver back when sorted, but alas, that's no longer the case. That said, learning how to sharpen and set a saw isn't difficult; it's just boring and repetitive but it's an easy enough process and one which is well (if not essential) worth learning.

Unless you really know what you're doing, don't even think about sharpening a Japanese saw blade..but I know somebody who does (hammer) - Rob